How AI is Shaping the Future of Recycling

At this year’s ReMA 2025, ReMatter stepped up as the official Innovation Partner, hosting an expert panel on AI in the Recycled Materials Industry and a hands-on demo of how AI tools can help yards work smarter, not harder.

“ReMatter is stepping up in a big way for ReMA and the recycled materials industry in 2025,” said ReMA President Robin Wiener. “It’s support from organizations, like ReMatter, that are truly invested in the success of our industry that help drive all of us forward.”

Here’s what recyclers should know about how AI fits into daily scrap operations today, and where it’s going next.

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AI is More Than Just a Buzzword

In the panel, ReMatter’s Co-Founder, Drake Hougo, unpacked the reality behind the AI hype. AI won’t replace people, it helps good people do their jobs better. For yards, that means faster grading, cleaner data, and sharper business decisions. When operators opt into AI tools and share data, everyone’s models get stronger, and the whole industry benefits.

Like Drake Hougo said, “Rising tides help all boats. At the end of the day, that allows us to sharpen the technology, which will hopefully be better for your business.”

A few big truths he shared:

• Data is the engine: AI is only as strong as the information you feed it.
• Automation complements human expertise: The goal is to flag mistakes and free up time, not replace skilled workers.
• Early investments pay off: Yards that organize and digitize their data now will be ready for smarter, more useful AI tomorrow.

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Practical AI at Work: Lessons from the Live Demo

Later, at ReMatter Live, our CEO and Co-Founder, Wyatt Pontius and our VP of Revenue, Kent Holland, showed how these ideas will soon look on the ground.

Key examples:

• Computer vision at the scale
  Camera feeds automatically double-check load grades, catching misgrades and honest errors before they eat into margin. This protects both the buyer and the yard, without slowing down the line.
• Customizable dashboards & reporting
  Instead of hunting through spreadsheets, operators and managers can ask for answers in plain language: “Show purchase volume by facility over time.” The system handles the rest.
• Export & brokerage tools
  Many yards still manage containers and bookings with SD cards and spreadsheets. Bringing this into a unified system cuts paperwork and confusion, so teams can focus on trading, not chasing files.
  
  

“It’s about getting back seconds and minutes that add up to real dollars over a year and doing it without making daily work harder than it needs to be.” - Wyatt Pontius, CEO, ReMatter

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Why It Matters

Both sessions returned to a simple theme: AI only adds value when the basics are solid. Many recycling operations don’t need flashy experiments, they need reliable scale tickets, clean inventory, and tools that help protect thin margins.

ReMatter’s approach, shaped by years of listening to scale operators, buyers, dispatchers, and owners, aims to layer smart technology on top of what already works, not reinvent the wheel for its own sake. Or, as Drake said on stage: “This industry runs on relationships, trust, and tight operations. AI should help, not get in the way.”

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Key Takeaways for Recyclers

• Organize your data: AI is only as good as what you feed it.
• Focus on practical use cases: Fraud detection, grading accuracy, real-time insights.
• Keep people at the center: Tools should fit workflows, not force yards to change overnight.

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Looking Ahead

At ReMA 2025, it was clear: the recycling industry doesn’t need empty promises, it needs tools that respect its roots and help the next generation grow stronger. As the official Innovation Partner of ReMA, ReMatter is committed to making that future practical and accessible, one smart workflow at a time.

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